Redbird volleyball swept by MVC-leader Wichita State

Posted on October 17, 2016

Jaelyn Keene had 10 kills in Illinois State’s loss to Wichita State on Sunday. (Photo courtesy GoRedbirds.com)

By ISU Sports Information

NORMAL – A momentum change late in the second set proved to be too difficult to overcome as the Illinois State volleyball team lost to league-leading Wichita State Sunday at Redbird Arena. The Shockers won by scores of 25-19, 26-24, 25-23.

The Redbirds (12-9, 5-4 MVC) seemed poised to even the match at one set apiece late in the second set, but Wichita State (15-5, 8-1) finished the set on a 12-1 run to take a 2-0 lead in the match, stealing momentum from the Redbirds in the process.

Jaelyn Keene and Ali Line led the Redbird offense, with 10 and 11 kills, respectively. Jordan Weatherless dished out a team-high 20 assists, while Courtney Pence tallied a match-high 20 digs for the Redbirds.

Wichita State used a quick 7-2 start to grab control early in the first set, but the Redbirds slowly chipped away at the lead and eventually took a 15-14 lead. But the Shockers promptly answered with an 8-1 run to reclaim the lead for good. A kill from Katy Dudzinski on set point finished off the first set for the visitors.

The Redbirds appeared to rebound early in the second set, building a lead that steadily grew to reach as many as nine points, at 23-14. The stingy Shockers fought back, though, scoring nine-straight points to tie it up at 23-23. The Redbirds got to a set point with a kill from Aly Dawson, but Wichita State scored the next three points to complete the comeback in the second set.

The third set was the closest of the match, with 10 tied scores and four lead changes, and neither team led by more than three at any point during the set. The Redbirds grabbed a late lead at 23-22 on a Wichita State attack error, but the Shockers scored the next three points to finish off the sweep.

The Redbirds return to action next weekend with Missouri Valley Conference matches at Bradley on Friday and Loyola on Saturday. Both start at 7 p.m.

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